The barony of Carbery is divided in two, East and West Carbery,  each of which is divided in two divisions: East and West. The Mizen Peninsula is in the West Division of West Carbery. The original Carbery was the biggest barony in Ireland. When the barony was divided in two is not readily identifiable nor can it be established if the sub-divisions of the two Carberys were created at the same time. William Petty’s Down survey of 1655 refers to Carbery as a single entity. The Placenames Commission refers to ‘The East Division of Carbery and the West Division of Carbery’ and dates it to 1659. The barony’s division may have been a result of Petty’s survey.

 Prior to the Norman invasion, Ireland did not have a central administration nor did the various Irish chieftains have defined boundaries to their domains. Pre-Norman Ireland was divided into a patchwork of petty kingdoms, which were the smallest units of organisation, known as a túath, groups of which were subject to a regional chieftain whose bailiwicks equated to what became baronies that had submitted to the English crown. These regional chieftains were subject to a higher chieftain who was supreme in what would roughly comply with the modern provinces.

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